1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to installations for domestic appliances, and more particularly to a valve for use with a washing machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some domestic appliances, such as washing machines, must be connected to sources of hot and cold water. While the supply lines are generally made of copper, the connection to the washing machine is usually made with rubber hoses through manual valves on the copper supply lines. During use the hoses are subjected to pressure pulses, and if the water supply is left on between washes, there is a continual pressure in the rubber hoses. Over a period of time, the hoses are prone to leakage and damage which typically is a sudden rather than progressive failure. Accordingly, there is high likelihood of a leak developing in such hoses, which effectively provides an open water outlet. The user could turn off the manual water taps after each load of laundry to isolate the hoses, however, this imposes a burden on the user to remember to turn off the taps after each load of laundry. If the user forgets to turn off the water, than a leak could develop and cause severe damage.
In an attempt to prevent such leakage, U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,549, provides a hose protector device with sleeves over the pipes in order to direct any leakage to a drain. Such a device redirects the flow of leaked water from a ruptured hose to a drain. If the hose breaks, then water will be wasted and could overflow the drain or rupture the hose protector.
Another solution, proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,218, is a device for shutting off the supply of water to a washing machine when a leak develops. The valve is electrically controlled and controls both the hot and cold water taps. The water supply lines have an extra electrically conductive layer which when covered with water changes the resistance of this layer to activate a switch and turn off the water and the electricity to the washing machine. Such a device relies on electricity to operate and requires a special layer on the pipes. It also requires an extra electrical connection and the corresponding wires to connect to the conductive layer. Any failure in the detection circuitry or the electrical controls for the valves would allow water to leak.
Accordingly, there is a need for a valve for washing machines, which obviates and mitigates at least some of the above disadvantages.
A valve for an appliance comprises:
a) a valve assembly having a pair of inlets for coupling to a water supply and a pair of outlets for supplying water to the appliance;
b) a valve mechanism operably coupled to the valve assembly to control the flow of water from the inlets to the outlets,
c) a timer operably coupled to the valve mechanism to control the valve mechanism and thereby control the flow of water;
wherein enabling the timer allows water to flow from the inlets to the outlets for a preset length of time.